A Forever Kind Of Love - Remastered
by evgrrl09
Summary: Penelope marries Lynch, but what happens when Derek pours out his feelings to her the night before her wedding? Something completely unexpected. A remaster of my very first fan fiction of the same title. Dedicated to the readers who have been with me since the beginning. Morgan/Garcia story. Anti-Lynch.
1. An Unhappy Wedding

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**So for my 50th story, I have decided to do something special: I am remastering my very first story on FanFiction, **_**A Forever Kind Of Love**_**. So for those of you who read that story, you'll know quite a bit of what this story will bring; if you haven't read it, just try this one out first…it's gonna be better 'cause I've grown as a Morcia writer.**

**This story is dedicated to readers who have been with me since the beginning :) Please accept my thanks and gratitude.**

The wedding had been beautiful. The whole church had been decorated in lovely colors and there were flowers all over. Soft candlelight had filled the place and all the guests had been thrilled for the couple getting married.

But even more beautiful than the setting was the bride.

Penelope Garcia was the most beautiful woman in the world on a daily basis to Derek Morgan, but she had blown him away that day. Her dress had fit her like a glove, the bodice hugging her luscious curves and accentuating every part of her sensual body. Her lips had been painted a soft, crushed rose red and her eyes were sparkling. She took Derek's breath away, in a literal and figurative sense of the word.

Her whole walk down the aisle she had smiled at her groom, the groom that was not Derek. Kevin Lynch had smiled right back at her.

The moment the priest asked if there was any one in the church who objected to the union of Penelope and Kevin, every fiber of Derek's being wanted to jump to his feet and shout that he indeed objected. She may have told him she loved him back, but the love she held for Kevin, the man who'd asked her to marry him and voiced his feelings for her, was stronger. She would do anything to keep their love strong.

But that wasn't what Penelope wanted. She wanted Kevin. So instead of jumping up and voicing his feelings, Derek remained stone still in his seat, not moving or even looking up at what was going on in front of him. He just stared at the floor, wanting to disappear into the woodwork and let his love for Penelope consume him.

The moment Kevin was told he could kiss his bride, he couldn't stand it any longer and he rose to his feet abruptly and hurried out a side door. He couldn't handle this, not anymore. He just needed a drink. He needed to figure out how he was going to cope with this heartbreak that had just caused his heart to implode in his chest and spread the broken shards through his body.

Hopefully there would be some strong liquor around that he could drown his sorrows in.

XXXXX

As the church began to empty of guests so they could head to the reception, Hotch and Reid were concerned about Derek who had raced from the church before the wedding had even been completely finished.

"Hotch, I'm really worried about Morgan," Reid said softly, sticking his hands into his pockets. "What's he going to do?"

Hotch shook his head. "I have no idea," he said. "Something must have happened between the two of them. She didn't look right when Rossi was getting ready to take her down the aisle. She was on the verge of tears the entire time." He rubbed his forehead. "She doesn't love Lynch. We all know that. _She_ knows that. Why she even went through with this wedding is a mystery to me."

"Me too," Reid said as they began to exit the church along with the sea of others. "I'm so confused by this whole debacle."

They followed the rest of the people out towards the reception hall and kept their eyes open for Derek; he was no where to be found.

"Hey amigos!" JJ said, coming up to them, her bridesmaid dress trailing along behind her. She grinned. "Great wedding, huh?" Both Hotch and Reid fixed her with a _Really?_ look and she rolled her eyes. "Okay fine. It's a sham. She's not happy and Derek's looking goddamned devastated."

Reid shook his head. "If he was anywhere to look at," he muttered. "He disappeared a little while ago. No idea where he went."

"Well, there's an open bar," Rossi said, coming up to join them. "That might explain where he disappeared to."

"Talking about Morgan?" Emily interjected, also coming up to join the rest of her team. A depressed look covered her face. "Yeah. I have no idea where he went, but I'm sure he's getting drunk somewhere."

A dark cloud covered the group and they were silent for a long moment, all of them staring at the floor. They were all feeling extremely sad for their fellow team member. He had never looked more crushed than when Kevin had proposed to Penelope.

"Ladies and gentleman," the DJ began. "Entering the room now are Mr. and Mrs. Lynch!"

The majority of the guests, save for the BAU team, cheered. They wanted to be happy for Penelope, but when they knew that she herself wasn't happy — it was clear based on the lack of sparkle in her eyes and the faux smile covering her face — it was difficult.

Hotch scanned around the room. He knew he wouldn't find Derek anywhere inside, but he had to look for him. He needed to find out what was going on with him, what he was thinking. He needed to make sure he didn't try and get into his car and drive because if he was correct, Derek was likely drunk off his ass already. Looking at the rest of his team, he said, "I'm going to go find Derek. I'm going to make sure he doesn't try and drive anywhere."

Then he took off, not bothering to go and try to congratulate the newly married couple.

XXXXX

Penelope was getting herself a glass of champagne at the bar, taking a moment to be alone and away from the guests. This wedding wasn't right, she could hardly believe she'd gone through with it.

Derek may have been the love of her life, but she was so afraid of him breaking her heart and the guilt that she would break Kevin's heart, that she'd gone with it. Her happiness was going to go down the toilet, but she had to protect her heart.

Her mind began drifting towards the events from the night before.

_Penelope rose from the couch when she heard the knock on her door. She frowned. It was ten o'clock at night and she was confused as to why someone would come knocking the night before she was getting married. Everyone knew she was packing up her apartment on her last night in it before she moved into the house she and Kevin had purchased._

_Looking through the peephole, her brow furrowed. Standing outside her door, his hands in his leather jacket and looking around nervously._

_Unbolting the door, she opened it and blinked several times. "Derek?" she murmured. "What are you doing here?"_

"_Can I come in?" he asked, his jaw hard._

_She nodded and stepped aside, allowing him in. He was looking around at the boxes that were stacked all over the apartment and his face seemed sad. She smiled slightly. "Looks weird, doesn't it?" she asked. "Seeing it all packed up." She set her hands on her hips and grinned at him more widely. "So, you here to help me pack, Hot Stuff?"_

_He wasn't smiling, however. "I'm not here for that," he said softly. He looked up at him to address her more directly. "I came here to…talk to you about something."_

_Her face fell and she swallowed with difficulty. He looked so serious. What could he possibly want to talk about that was making him so serious? She studied him carefully. His handsome face was set in an almost unreadable gaze and she could tell there was something going on in his mind that was making him grave. Nodding, she motioned for him to follow her into the living room to sit on the couch. When they were sitting, she took his hand and was shocked when he withdrew it as if she'd burned him. Hurt and taken back, she looked down at her own hands and asked softly, "What's going on? You're acting weird."_

_Rubbing his face, he shook his head and mumbled, "God, I've never had to do this. How can I say this right?"_

"_Do what?" she asked, utterly confused._

_He finally looked up at her and then, without another word, took her face gently in his hands and pressed his lips on hers. His lips were tender and coaxing, igniting a fire in her that caused her to respond, touching his cheek as she kissed him back. This was perfect. He tasted so wonderful, like he was meant for her. She wanted to devour him all night long. _This_ was a kiss. _This_ was the passion she'd searched for her whole life._

_But then she remembered she had a fiancé. What the hell was she doing? No matter _how much _she loved Derek, she was committed to Kevin. Christ, she was marrying him! Putting her hands on his chest, she pushed him backwards and shook her head._

"_No," she whispered. "I can't do this."_

"_Do you love him?" Derek asked hardly._

_Her eyes went wide and she asked, "What?"_

"_I asked if you love him," he said bluntly. "You just kissed me back. Can you honestly say that you don't love me after that? You kissed me like you loved me."_

_Tears filled her eyes and she asked, "Why are you coming to me now about this? Why are you telling me on the night before I get married?"_

_He shook his head. "I can't lose you," he said fiercely. "I know I should have told you sooner, but I was so afraid. But I'm telling you I love you know because if I don't —"_

_Rising abruptly from her seat, Penelope pointed towards the door and shook her head. She couldn't listen to this. She loved Derek with her whole heart, not Kevin. But she'd watched him hurt so many women in the past, she just couldn't stand to think what would happen if he broke her heart if she left Kevin. She had to distance herself from him immediately before she made a terrible mistake._

"_You need to go," she said harshly. "I can't believe you would come and tell me this, tonight of all nights! Get out!"_

_He too got to his feet and came closer to her, getting up near her face. "You're telling me you don't feel anything for me? Nothing?"_

_With trembling hands, she pointed at the door again. "Just go," she said, choking past a lump that had built up in her throat. She couldn't lie, but she couldn't say what she wanted to either. "I'm sorry, but I can't talk to you right now."_

_Cupping her face once more, he said, "Baby Girl, please! Don't marry him!"_

"_You want me to just leave him?" she cried. "You want me to leave the man who asked me to marry him and share my life with?"_

"_Penelope, we love each other," he said desperately. "I know you love me! I love you! Let me show you…" And then his lips were on hers again, and her arms wrapped around his neck, his kisses making it impossible for her to deny her passion any longer._

"There's my bride!" Kevin boomed, completely breaking the silent spell she had cast upon herself.

She turned around from the bar and plastered a smile on her face for her new husband. It was time to forget about Derek and all her feelings for him. She had a life ahead of her with Kevin. She'd chosen to remain with him; she would just have to settle in for the life she had chosen to live.

XXXXX

Outside the church, Derek was sitting beneath a tree in the garden, a half empty bottle of Jack Daniels next to him. He was aiming for a drunken stupor, which he'd already gotten to. Maybe he'd be lucky and die of alcohol poisoning.

That would be ideal.

"I thought I might find you around here with a bottle of something," Hotch's voice said, breaking through his drunkenness.

He looked up and smiled crookedly at his unit chief. "Boss!" he slurred. "Come to join da party here? I gots booze!" He held up the bottle proudly.

Hotch sat down next to him and took the bottle from his grasp, yanking it from his hands so that he would quit drinking. Seeing him this way just made him sad. Derek didn't deserve this. He may not have told Penelope of his love soon enough, but he didn't deserve this pain. Hotch had never seen him so low or depressed.

"Do you think she really loves him?" Derek asked. Hotch noticed tears were coursing down his cheeks. "'Cause I know my Baby Girl…she's too good for some pansy like Lynch! I know she loves me. I know she does!"

"I agree," Hotch sympathized. "So what do you plan to do? You gonna be able to talk to her on a daily basis?"

He shook his head and started stumbling through his words. "Nope. I — I'm gonna go to New York. The position still wants me. I'm lea — leaving. I start on Monday leading the whole unit."

Hotch looked at him in shock, but knew better than to try and argue with him. It would do him no good whatsoever. Derek, drunk or not, was sure in his position. And quite frankly he wasn't going to put him through pain. As far as he was concerned, he was going to support his friend. Penelope would be devastated, but Derek was a mess and if he stayed in Quantico, he would just deteriorate even more.

Plus, leaving could help him get over Penelope.

Clapping Derek on the shoulder, Hotch said, "I've got your back on this, Morgan. I'll even drive you to the airport."

Derek looked at him with glazed over eyes. "Th - thanks, man," he slurred clumsily. "I app—appreciate it."

Then he slumped forward to the ground, unconscious from both alcohol and grief.


	2. Memory Lane

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!**

**Thanks for the reviews! This chapter is very flashback heavy. Here's the next one…PLEASE REVIEW :)**

_8 Months Later _

Penelope sat in her office at eight on Friday evening, rubbing her pregnant belly in slow circular motions. Her daughter kicked inside her and she smiled momentarily, looking down at her distended stomach. Even though her marriage was going down in flames faster than she could type, she was so excited to be a mother.

She could care less at this point what Kevin was excited about.

At first, things had been fine. She'd been happy after returning from her honeymoon. Kevin and she had a wonderful trip and it looked like they would be heading towards a moderately happy life.

"_Hello my lovelies!" Penelope sang out as she reentered the bullpen for the first time in three weeks. She was smiling radiantly as she laid eyes on her team and stopped in front of Reid's desk, setting her bag down on the ground next to it. Though she was thrilled to see her team — her family — she was terrified of seeing Derek. She didn't know if she had the courage to face him after everything that had happened between them the night before her wedding._

"_Garcia!" Emily cried, throwing her arms around her neck. "How was your vacation? Did you have an _amazing _time?" She wiggled her eyebrows and Penelope laughed. However, she didn't respond; in all honesty, the honeymoon sex that so many people claimed was amazing had been bland. Very average in her opinion._

_Reid got up and smiled before hugging her. "Hi there, Garcia," he said softly. There was something slightly odd about the look in his eyes, but he looked happy to see her nonetheless._

_Just then, Hotch, Rossi, and JJ appeared, all of them looking extremely happy to see her._

"_PG!" JJ said, hugging her as well. "I'm so happy to see you! It's been so strange without you here."_

"_Great to see you looking well, Kitten," Rossi said, leaning forward to kiss her cheek and hugging her. "Honeymoon go well?"_

_She nodded and smiled. "And I have some awesome news! In about nine months, you're all going to be uncles and aunties!"_

_Emily and JJ immediately threw their arms around her in a group hug and hugged her tightly. Smiles covered the men's faces, even Hotch's._

"_Congratulations," he said. "I'm sure you'll be a wonderful mother."_

_She smiled gratefully at her boss. "Awe, thanks Bossman," she said. But then she began to look around the bullpen and her eyes fell on the hallway that led to Derek's office. Sure, she expected it might be awkward between them, but she figured he would at least come and greet her._

_After all he was her best friend and she didn't want that to change._

_Finally she decided to ask about it. "Uh, have any of you guys seen Morgan around today?" she asked, wringing her hands together anxiously. "You know, I just wanted to say hi. I figured since he knew I was coming back today he'd at least…" Her voice trailed off and she smiled nervously._

_That was when everyone else lost their smiles. They all averted their eyes as if it would take them away from the situation. She frowned at them and asked, "What's wrong guys? Is everything okay?"_

_Even though she was asking the question, she knew before she opened her mouth that everything was not okay._

_Reid was the first one to speak, and his voice was hesitant as he did. "Garcia…Morgan left."_

_Her mouth went dry. "He — he what?" she asked hoarsely. Her voice came out as a croak. She was forced to clear her throat before adding, "Er, where did he go?"_

"_He left for New York," Hotch said gently. "He took a position of team leader there. They had the spot open and waiting for him, so he took it."_

_Everyone held their breaths as they waited for her to respond, but she honestly had nothing to say. Her mouth was a loss for words. What could she say? She'd broken his heart because she thought he would eventually break hers, and now he had fled all the way up to New York to escape her. It was as if in that moment when her friends told her he was gone that a piece of her died inside._

_But she had to get over it. She had to forget about him. Already she had a baby on the way and a husband who she would have to shower her love on. She just needed to accept that Derek was gone, and he was likely never coming back._

_So she leaned down and picked up her bag. Waving to the team, she said, "I'm going to take my stuff to my office. I'll be right back!" She hurried off. She needed a few moments alone to grieve the fact that she had just lost her best friend, likely for good. And the moment she closed the door, she lost all composure and a sob came from her throat._

As the months passed by, the husband who she was supposed to shower her love on grew apart from her.

Things had rapidly become strained between her and Kevin. Frequently she tried to bring up things regarding their child that was on the way, but nothing seemed to interest him. Not names, not wall colors for the nursery, not who the godparents would be. He'd essentially lost interest in her and their baby. He was even not coming to her check ups with the doctors about the baby. She had no idea why he was acting the way he was, but at this point there was one thing she knew for certain: the only good thing coming out of her marriage was the baby growing inside her.

And it wasn't just his lack of interest in their baby. He was lacking interest in every part of their marriage. He quit talking to her when he got home from work, merely grunted answers to questions she asked him, went out with friends almost every night and leaving her home alone in the process.

He'd even quit sleeping in the same bed as her.

_The door burst open around two o'clock in the morning and Penelope jumped with a start. She had been waiting in the living room for her husband to come home and had dozed off briefly with the television on. Rising from the couch, she waddled into the kitchen. With her seven months pregnant, things such as walking or bending over had gradually changed._

_She rubbed her eyes as they adjusted to the fluorescent ones that Kevin had turned on in the kitchen. When she found him, he was opening the fridge to grab himself a beer. She plastered a smile on her face and yawned. "Hi Kev," she said. "You're home awfully late. Where have you been?"_

_He cast a look sideways at her and went to open up a cupboard to pull out a bag of chips. "Out," he said bluntly, moving past her to head into the living room to watch TV._

_Frowning, she followed him out of the kitchen and put her hands on her hips. She watched as he plopped down on the sofa and took a gulp from his beer bottle. "Kevin, it's two in the morning. Why don't you come to bed?"_

"_I'm not tired," he grunted._

_She sighed and rubbed her temples. "Kevin, what is going on with you?" she demanded. "You haven't slept in our bed in almost three months, you've hardly touched me, and any time I try to bring anything up regarding our _daughter _you shut down completely. For Christ's sake, I tried bringing up names and you just went off to la-la land or some other place!" Tears filled her eyes and she went to sit by his side. She took his hands and was shocked when he swiftly drew them back. "Kevin, what's wrong? Is it something I'm doing?"_

_He turned to glare at her. His eyes were clearly bloodshot and his hair was a mess. She reached up to stroke some of it back, but he swatted her hand away. "Don't, Penelope," he growled. "Just don't. Right now I'm drunk and I don't think this is a good time to have this conversation. Just go to bed. We'll talk about it later."_

_Clenching her hands into fists, she rose from the couch and snapped, "You know what? Keep sleeping on the couch! You can sleep in our bed when you decide to get involved with me and this baby again!"_

_Then she stalked back up the stairs and slammed the door to her room, locking it in the process._

Penelope sighed heavily and looked at the clock. She needed to start leaving. Tomorrow was Henry's birthday party and she needed to get some sleep before she got up in the morning to help JJ get ready for it. It was supposed to be a big celebration. There were even a few people coming from out of town for it.

Before she rose from her chair though, she opened her desk drawer and pulled out a photo. It was the only picture of her and Derek that hadn't been packed away. She may have been furious with him for leaving without a word, so much so that she herself refused to even try to call him, but she wanted one picture of him for the days when she felt particularly lonely. And lately she felt lonely all the time. She wished with all her heart that she could see him or even just hear his voice.

But any of that would just break her heart even more than it already was.

Tracing the outline of his face with the tip of her finger, Penelope felt the tears begin to course down her cheeks. She hated herself for hurting him, for making the dumbest mistake of her life and marrying a man she didn't love.

As she held the picture tightly to her chest and cried silently, she suddenly felt a gush of wetness between her legs. Her head snapped up in panic as she realized what had just happened.

"Oh, shit," she grumbled, rising from the desk chair.

Her water had just broken.

XXXXX

"Morgan!"

Derek was collecting his bag from the luggage claim when he heard JJ calling his name. He turned to see his his former colleague and Will coming towards him. Plastering a smile on his face, he opened his arms and hugged JJ, then shook hands with Will.

"Hey JJ," he said softly.

"Oh, it's so good to see you! Henry and Jack and the rest of the team will be so glad you decided to come. The only person who knows other than us is Hotch," she babbled as they started for the door.

So it was a surprise he was going to be there.

He couldn't believe he had agreed to do this. It wasn't that he didn't love Henry; it was the fact that he would be seeing Penelope and Kevin. He wasn't sure how much he could take of the heartbreak that he was more than certainly going to encounter. Hopefully he would be able to avoid her a good portion of the time, but it wasn't possible to not see her at all.

All he'd heard about her was that she was pregnant. Hotch tried to tell him other things, but he refused to listen to any of it. At one point he'd even hung up the phone. The news regarding the pregnancy had been sprung on him and he hadn't had the opportunity to hang up yet. After that he'd learned quickly, and any time he even heard mention of her he pressed the end button. Eventually the team realized they were fighting a losing battle and stopped mentioning her.

Penelope didn't try to call him, he didn't try to call her.

In his mind, she was done with him. If that was what she wanted, then he was fine with it. He just hoped no one expected him to be happy with it.


	3. Perfect Combination

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Here's the third chapter! Thanks so much for the reviews. They are much appreciated :) For this chapter we've got Penelope POV, to Derek, to Penelope again…but it's mostly Penelope. I hope you enjoy this one and PLEASE REVIEW IF YOU CAN!**

"Oh, God!" Penelope cried as she was pushed into a hospital room in a wheelchair. Beside her was Reid, his hand limp in hers as she squeezed it tightly. She looked up at him with crazed eyes. "Did someone call Kevin?" When Reid didn't immediately respond, she repeated herself much more loudly. "Reid! Answer me! Did someone call my husband?"

He nodded. "He'll be here soon, Garcia," he assured her. "I think if you would loosen —" As the pain of another contraction hit, she clenched down on his hand even harder and a cry escaped her mouth. He let out a yelp and shook his head. "Okay, never mind then."

Penelope began breathing in faster pants. The pain of the contractions was getting worse and worse. She looked around the room wildly and screeched at the doctor, "Can I please have my epidural? I'm dying here!"

"Mrs. Lynch, you're not dying," the doctor, Dr. Young said dryly, coming towards her with a syringe. "Here's your epidural. You can rest assured that your husband will be here very soon." She checked Penelope's chart and nodded to her. "We'll be back in just a few moments. Your baby's coming soon." She exited the room, leaving a nurse and Reid with Penelope.

"Reid, please check and see if Kevin is here," Penelope begged, her breathing coming in faster pants. Despite their separation and the tension raging between them, she needed her husband, the father of her child. He deserved to be there to hold their daughter, even if they were at odds with one another.

Before Reid left the room though, Kevin burst into the room, a panicked look covering his face. "Penny!" he said frantically. "Penny, Agent Hotchner called and told me you went into labor. How are you feeling?"

She smiled weakly. "Ready to have this baby," she said.

"I'll just be going to the waiting room," Reid said, excusing himself awkwardly. He hurried away.

Kevin came by her bedside and took her hand. "Penny, I'm so sorry we've been fighting," he pleaded. "But I'm ready to take this on! I'll be the best father I can be. I even took a look at some baby names online last night. I was thinking — I don't know…_Buffy_! Or we could —"

She shook her head and took his hand. "Kevin, it's okay," she said. "We'll figure it out. Right now, let me have the baby, then we can work things out." Somehow in her heart she thought things might not work between them ever again. The evening before she'd had a dream about Derek. Better put, _another_ dream. She'd been dreaming about him for the past few months, practically since he'd left for New York. She missed him so bad that it hurt to think about. She longed for his companionship, for his deep baritone voice to fill her ears so she could feel happy again. Because no matter how excited she was to be a mom, she missed the person she loved most aside from her baby.

And that person wasn't Kevin…it was Derek.

"Really," Kevin said. "I'm ready for this. Our daughter and us? We're going to live a happy life. We'll all be super, duper hap —"

"Alright, Mrs. Lynch," Dr. Young interrupted Kevin as she reemerged into the room. "We're ready to start getting your baby here for you." She nodded to the nurse. "How dilated is she?"

Penelope let out another groan as a contraction hit her. They were coming more frequently. "Yeah, getting this baby out of here would be nice," she hissed.

"She's about seven centimeters, going on eight," the nurse reported, handing over a pair of gloves. She looked over at Kevin and added, "You're going to have to get out of the way, sir. Stand behind the doctor and I, please." Kevin looked at Penelope one last time before complying.

Young put her mask over her face and stuck her rubber gloves on. She sat down at the end of the bed on her stool and peaked below the sheet. Looking up at the nurse, she said, "She's crowning." She turned her attention to Penelope. "Time to push, Penelope. You ready?"

Penelope wiped her sweaty forehead and shook her head. She really didn't think she was ready for this.

"Well, you're gonna have to be," Young said. "Push."

Exhaling, Penelope nodded and started pushing like her life depended on it. Even with the pain killers on board she was in almost excruciating agony. She groaned and gave another push. Leaning her head back against the hospital bed pillow, she felt tears well up in her eyes from both pain and fear. What if something went wrong? What if something unexpected happened to her baby?

"You're almost there," Young prompted. "I have your baby's head right in front of me…you can do it."

With one last, earsplitting shriek, Penelope heard the cry of a baby finally and a sigh of relief escaped her mouth. She looked towards Kevin and smiled at him. Nothing had gone wrong; her baby was crying and awake. "Mr. Lynch, would you like to…" Dr. Young's voice trailed off and she looked up at Kevin with shock.

The blood drained from Penelope's face and her heart went cold. Oh, God. Something _had _gone wrong. She strained to see what was going on. Apparently Kevin was too much in shock to cut the umbilical cord and the doctor was forced to do it before handing her over to the nurse who got to work cleaning up her daughter. "What is it?" Penelope gasped in terror. "Is my baby okay? Please tell me what's going on!" She looked to Kevin and watched as he ran his hands over his face and through his hair. His face had gone red, but he didn't look devastated.

He looked…angry?

"Kevin, what's wrong?"

Turning to glare at her, he shouted, "What's wrong?" He laughed maniacally. "What's _wrong_? Oh, I'll tell you what's wrong! You're a fucking whore, that's what's wrong!"

Young looked at Kevin sternly while Penelope wiped away the tears that were rolling down her face. "Mr. Lynch, please calm down," she said. "You don't want to put your wife in distress."

"Put her in distress? What about me? You can plainly see that she's put _me_ in distress, and she has been for the past nine months apparently!" Kevin began to pace the room and was muttering to himself, ignoring the cries of the baby and the scolding of the nurse.

Penelope felt her gut drop and she looked to the doctor. "Let me see my daughter…" she whispered hoarsely. She held out her arms to take the bundle that was in Dr. Young's arms. As soon as her child was placed in her arms, she gasped. Now she knew exactly what Kevin was talking about and why the doctor and nurse were telling him to calm down.

The baby was now just sniffling and gurgling, her cries diminishing rapidly as she looked up at her mother for the first time. Her hair was a dark mahogany color and her skin was a light caramel tone. But it wasn't just her hair and skin that were a dead giveaway that she wasn't Kevin's daughter. It was her eyes. Her eyes were a dark brown, almost black that were very clearly the eyes of her real father.

The baby in Penelope's arms was most definitely not the daughter of Kevin Lynch; she was Derek Morgan's daughter.

XXXXX

As JJ was talking to Derek, he stared out the window only half listening to what she was saying. He was more than a little nervous about seeing everyone, namely Penelope. He didn't know if he could do this.

The more he thought about it, the more this trip became the worst idea he'd ever had.

"And I know Penelope will want —"

Derek coughed and grunted out, "What should I get for Henry's birthday present? I could probably go get something tomorrow morning, but I don't know what…" His voice ended up trailing off, but he didn't miss the look that Will and JJ exchanged. As he opened his mouth to finish what he was going to say, JJ's cell rang and interrupted his opportunity.

She answered it swiftly. "Agent Jareau." She paused and her eyes went wide. "Okay, Hotch, we'll be there soon!" Turning to Will, she said, "Change of plans, Will. Hospital. Now!"

She turned around and looked at Derek with sympathy in her gaze. He knew exactly what this meant and it meant nothing good. The emotions he was feeling were ones of heartbreak. It was as if his chest was collapsing in on itself and time was slowing it down so it was ten times more painful and drawn out. It was falling and knowing the drop was coming, but he hadn't quite hit the concrete yet.

It seemed like the feeling that came before someone lost all hope of being rescued.

Penelope was going into labor.

XXXXX

When they got to the hospital twenty minutes later after Will had sped down the streets, Derek was greeted with open arms by the members of his former team. They all smiled at him and gave their different, unique reactions to his being there.

Rossi clapped him on the shoulder and grinned. "Well looked who decided to who up again," he laughed. "How ya been, Morgan?"

He gave a strained smile and rubbed his head. "Well, my team isn't nearly as good as you all," he said. "But I got some time off to see Henry for his birthday, so…" His voice trailed off and he shook his head, not bothering to get into any more details.

"It's good to have you back, even for just a little while," Reid said, hugging him. He turned to Prentiss. "Emily, we got Morgan back for the weekend!"

Emily snorted and hugged Morgan as well. "Yeah, genius," she laughed. "I see that."

Derek stuck his hands in his pockets and nodded. "Yeah," he said. "I'm back for the weekend." He wasn't too intent on talking. Of course he had to come at the same time Penelope went into labor and was having her baby. Hotch motioned to him and urged him to follow him down the hall. He nodded. There was probably a lot for them to discuss. "You know guys, Hotch and I are gonna go grab a cup of coffee from down the hall. We'll be right back."

They started off down the hall and Hotch began speaking about the dreaded topic. "I know you don't want to, but we need to talk about this," Hotch said. "This is definitely a surprise. How's this weekend gonna go?"

Derek huffed. "You know how this will go," he said grumpily. "I'll be silent and spend most of the time ignoring her, just like she'll spend most of the time ignoring me. It'll be fine."

Hotch crossed his arms over his chest. "This might be fine, but I don't think _you_ will be fine," he observed. "You're not going to be okay because you're in love with her and she's married to a man you despise."

"And let's not forget she's having his baby," Derek added dryly. He sighed and figured he would try lying. It was worth a shot. "I'm fine. I even moved to New York to get over her."

"And have you gone on a date at all? Even one?"

Glaring at his former unit chief, he snapped, "Of course I haven't. I've been there a month and I'm settling into my new job. I don't have time to date."

"Nice try. You're not over her," Hotch deduced.

It really was pointless to lie. Hotch was a profiler, just like him. He knew how to read him like an open book. That and it was blatantly obvious to everyone that he was in love with Penelope.

"No," he muttered in admission as they stopped at the coffee machine. "I'm not. And I don't think I ever will be."

XXXXX

Tears filled Penelope's eyes as she looked at her baby. She was enchanted by her; she was beautiful. She'd gotten the best genes from both her parents. Stroking her daughter's cheek, she thought about everything that had happened in the past months. She couldn't believe this baby, this beautiful little girl, was Derek's. All the months she'd carried her, she thought the baby was Kevin's. She stroked the tears from her eyes with one hand and held her daughter lovingly against her chest.

"Penelope, how could you do this to me?" Kevin sputtered angrily, breaking her thoughts. "You slept with _Morgan_?"

She looked up at her husband and wept, "I'm so sorry, Kevin! Please bel —"

"You've always loved that bastard!" he hollered. "From day one. God, I should have known this would happen!" He resumed his pacing, but then stopped to glare at her again. His eyes were filled with hate and malice. For a moment she thought he might try and make a grab for her or the baby, but he just stood with his fists clenched. "Didn't you ever wonder why I stopped touching you? Why I quit sleeping in our room and moving to the couch? You kept calling for him when you were sleeping! Every night…every _single_ night! And it wasn't just his name…you would cry out for him and say how much you loved him and how much it broke your heart that he left you. I didn't know how much people could talk in their sleep, but boy did I find out with you!" He shook his head. "I thought this baby would bring us back together, but she's not mine. She's Derek fuckin' Morgan's!"

"Mr. Lynch! Enough yelling!" Dr. Young said fiercely. "Get out!"

"Kevin, I'm sorry I hurt you," Penelope said tearfully. "I — I never wanted to hurt you. I tried stopping it, but I —"

"You _love_ him?" Kevin sneered. He clenched his fists and started for the door. "Enjoy your life with your bastard daughter. Don't come crying back to me when Morgan breaks your heart and refuses to acknowledge your daughter." Then he stormed out of the room, leaving Penelope with her unnamed baby girl.

As soon as her husband had flown from the room, she looked back down at her daughter and sniffled. There would be time to think about how her marriage was over later. Right then she just wanted to be with her child, the child who was the perfect combination of Derek Morgan and Penelope Garcia.


	4. Conception

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Thank you so much for the reviews, follows, and favorites folks! I appreciate it. We've got some more drama in this one and a certain gentleman finds out he's just become a Daddy. We've got a much more intense reuniting scene (coming in the next chapter) in this version than in the original, so just giving fair warning. I sincerely hope you enjoy this new one and PLEASE REVIEW IF YOU HAVE TIME :)**

**This chapter is rated M.**

Kevin was storming out into the waiting room towards the BAU while Derek and Hotch were still away getting coffee. They all looked up in shock at his angry expression and JJ immediately jumped to her feet with worry. Had the doctors kicked him out because something had gone wrong on their part? His expression was one of extreme rage. Something serious must have happened.

"Kevin?" she said anxiously. "What is it? Did something go wrong?"

He glared at her adversarially and his fists were clenched. "Did any of you know?" he demanded. He turned his attention to JJ specifically and got closer to her. "I bet you knew, didn't you, Agent _Jareau_." His face turned to a sneer and he started forward towards her more. Will stepped forward, but JJ held her hand up to him and proceeded to stare at Kevin with a cold glare.

"What are you talking about, Lynch?" Rossi ground out. "And why are you accusing JJ of knowing something about it?"

Kevin turned to Rossi and roared, "I'm talking about the fact that that _baby _isn't mine!"

"Who's baby could it be then?" Emily asked at the same time as Reid demanded, "Are you accusing Penelope of being unfaithful to you?"

He turned to the two of them, answering Reid's question first, "Hell yes I'm accusing her of being unfaithful! The bitch is a whore who cheated on me. And to answer _your _question, Agent Prentiss, I'll let you profilers do the math on that one. Now get the fuck out of my way!"

Will shoved his finger into his chest. "Who do you think you are calling Penelope that and getting in my wife's face?" he said furiously.

"The ex-husband of that slut," Kevin spat. Then he strode forcefully out of the room and disappeared into the elevator, leaving nearly visible trails of smoke coming out of his ears.

The BAU was left in silence and JJ shook her head angrily. She should have pummeled the bastard. She was thankful Derek wasn't there; he might have beat Kevin to death if he heard the way Kevin was speaking about Penelope. "I'm going in there," she growled. "I can't believe that bastard would say something like that. How could he possibly think that baby isn't his?" She turned to Reid and asked, "Which is her room, Spence?"

"Room three fourteen," he answered absentmindedly, his eyes wide and face blank as he was still in shock.

Without waiting for anyone to speak with her or stop her, JJ went down the hall and into the room where Penelope was and found her best friend staring down at the small bundle in her arms, her eyes red and swollen. But despite her red-rimmed eyes, the joy was very clear as she looked at her baby. JJ watched her for a moment as her best friend gazed lovingly at her daughter before going in to see what the reason Kevin had stormed out was.

Hesitantly she entered the room after knocking softly on the door. She still had yet to see what Penelope's daughter actually looked like. There must have been something about her appearance that gave her away.

"Penelope?" she murmured.

Her friend didn't look up when she spoke, but she said, "I'm assuming Kevin told you." It wasn't a question; it was a blunt statement. She already knew what the answer was.

"He said…he said that the baby wasn't his," JJ said gently. "But nothing more than that."

Only then did Penelope look up from her daughter. "He didn't lie," she said.

JJ looked at her in confusion. "Garcia? Do you know who the father is then if it isn't Kevin?" She couldn't believe her friend would cheat on her husband. That just wasn't her. There had to be some mistake. Kevin must have been overreacting to something.

Penelope snorted. "Yeah," she said. "I know who it is. I had no idea it could have been his though." Fresh tears filled her eyes and began trickling down her cheeks. "JJ, I messed up big time. And the worst part is, I messed up because I married Kevin. _That _was how I messed up, not by betraying him." She shifted her daughter's position so that JJ could see her finally.

All JJ's reaction was was her eyes widening. Once her shock wore off, she stammered, "Penelope, is — is that…" In the end her voice trailed off. She was too surprised to continue.

"JJ, this is Eden," Penelope murmured, stroking her daughter's tiny cheek. "And Derek is her father."

XXXXX

_**9 Months Ago**_

_Once Derek's lips were on hers again, Penelope couldn't resist kissing him back. His taste enthralled her. She wanted to drown in him. Everything disappeared from her mind — her wedding, the man she was engaged to — but the one thing that remained was the man she was kissing, the man she really loved. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders and she held him tightly. His lips moved down to trail down the flesh of her neck and she closed her eyes, savoring the warmth of his lips. His hands were caressing her breasts, his fingers tweaking her rock solid nipples. A sigh escaped her lips and she traced the back of his smooth neck with the tips of her fingers._

"_I love you," she murmured in his ear. "I love you so much."_

_He pulled back to meet her eyes and she saw something she'd never seen before in any man's eyes: pure, unadulterated passion. She saw fierce love and a desire to hold her like she was the most precious thing in the world. It warmed her heart to see it and lit her chest on fire. "I love you, too. You're the _only_ woman I've ever loved."_

_Tears filled her eyes. "Real?"_

"_Very real."_

_She crashed her lips against his again and allowed him to effortlessly lift her off her feet so that she could wrap her legs around his waist. He carried her towards her bedroom, the beads in the doorway rustling as they went in. They crashed into her mattress and fell onto it. She giggled as they landed and inhaled his musky scent. His touch was searing through her clothes and leaving invisible brand marks. As he suckled on her pulse, she knew that he was marking her as his._

_She knew she should stop this, but she wasn't going to. She couldn't. Something this perfect would be impossible to stop. It would be criminal._

_Her hands coasted down his torso towards the hem of his shirt and she began to pull it up so that he pulled it over his head. She felt her mouth dry up at the sight of his beautiful body, his warm mocha skin, the strong planes of his muscles. Her fingers stroked the lion tattoo on his upper right arm and she moved her hand to cup his face. Never in her life had she felt this wonderful, this _alive_. This was perfection, pure bliss._

_When he spoke, his voice was hoarse. "Penelope, I want to make love to you," he whispered, moving her hair out of her face so he could look her in the eyes. "Is that what you want."_

_She didn't hesitate to nod; she wanted it more than anything. When she looked up at him with trust in her eyes, she knew he would take care of her, that he would love her right. And then he lowered himself over her and kissed her with the soft and tender pressure of his lips. She could feel the hard pressure of his arousal through his jeans and instantly a flood of wetness surged between her legs. She arched up against him to try and ease the ache between her thighs._

"_What do you want, Baby Girl?" he murmured huskily, the stubble of his bead tickling her face._

"_Please," she whimpered in need. "Please make love to me, Derek." She knew he wouldn't deny her._

_She was right; he pulled her shirt up over her head and exposed her round, lily-white breasts contained in a sheer red bra. Her budded nipples peeked through and he could see the sweet pink color of them. Next he moved to her yoga pants and slid them off, revealing her butterfly print underwear. He chuckled. Leave it to Penelope to wear non-matching lingerie._

_Sitting up, she unhooked the back of her bra while he took off her underwear, leaving her completely naked in front of him. He gazed at her hungrily, desire all over his features. "You are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen," he whispered, leaning forward and cupping her breasts in his hands. He took one of her nipples in his mouth and suckled on it, causing her to gasp in pleasure. He made love to her breasts first, causing her thighs to drip and ache with need. She wriggled beneath him, her blood burning with the need to touch every inch of his beautiful body._

_When his hand slid between her slick thighs and began fingering her folds, she cried out in ecstasy. He smiled up at her and kissed her lips gently. His fingers gently began to tease her pussy and she felt alive with passion, her every nerve ending on fire as he played her like an orchestra. He tapped her sensitive bud and her hips jerked off the bed as she moaned._

_And then he stuck his finger inside her._

_She exploded instantaneously. A cry, almost a scream came from her lips and stopped moving, panting and breathing heavily. It had been the strongest, most powerful orgasm of her life. Her pussy was dripping now, her juices running down her thighs. After a few moments, she sat up and supported herself on her elbows._

"_Take off your pants," she commanded. "I want to see you, every part of you. Every…last…delectable…inch…"_

_He rose to his feet and grinned devilishly. "As you wish," he murmured, unbuckling his pants and letting them drop to the floor. Her eyes grew wide at the sight of his cock jutting forward. He was large, the largest she'd ever seen. Mesmerized, she sat forward on the edge of the bed she reached out to touch him. She wrapped her slim, delicate hand around his sizable length and felt satisfied when he hissed. Good. She was brining him as much pleasure as he had brought her. "Jesus, Baby Girl," he said hoarsely, looking down at her and cupping her face._

_She looked up at him and smiled, gripping his cock in her hand and running it up and down his thick member, creating a friction it was clear he loved. She wanted nothing more than to feel him and keep touching his beautiful body. But then he grasped her by her shoulders and pushed her backwards on the bed. He crawled on top of her and stroked her a few times, before positioning himself at her opening. She spread her legs as wide as she could, her whole body tingling in anticipation._

"_I love you," he whispered as he pushed inside of her in one fluid stroke. She gasped as he filled her, made her quake with pleasure, and wrapped her in a cocoon of the most beautiful feeling anyone could experience. He didn't hesitate to pump in and out of her tight heat, and in return she didn't stop herself from meeting each thrust. She moaned loudly and grasped him tightly by the shoulders, her nails digging into his skin. Through each passionate touch, he murmured in her ear constantly, "I love you, Penelope." His lips kissed hers and trailed down her neck softly._

_They continued making love, each magical movement igniting flames in her that she didn't think would ever be put out. Gradually his thrusts increased, and a sweat broke out on his forehead. With one last intense thrust, he let out a primal groan and began to come in thick spurts inside her, causing her to come in unison with him and scream his name._

XXXXX

"I should have known this baby was his," she murmured, holding Eden tightly to her. She watched as the little girl's flicked around the room and her small pink tongue poked out of her mouth. "There was only a forty eight hour difference between me sleeping with Derek and then Kevin on our honeymoon. I didn't even consider the possibility."

JJ looked at her gently and said, "It sounds like you were in denial." Leaning forward, she touched Penelope's arm and added, "But Penelope, why didn't you call of the wedding. You love _Derek_. You knew you loved him. Why did you marry Kevin?"

Penelope looked at her and shook her head. "I thought he might break my heart," she said. "He's been with so many girls, never any of them serious. I thought it might happen to me. I should have believed in him, though." She stopped and took a deep breath before going on. "I'm such an idiot. I broke my best friend's heart…and for what? Selfishness? An attempt to protect my heart?" She looked back down at Eden. "I didn't even think about how much I was hurting him. He'll never want anything to do with me or our daughter. I ruined that when I threw him out of the apartment that morning." Laughing bitterly, she added, "Who knows? He's probably gone and found himself some hot little New York girl. A girl who deserves him more than me."

"Garcia, you didn't ruin anything," JJ assured her kindly. "He loves you. He will always love you. The night you got married he became a broken man. Hotch found him and he passed out drunk outside the church somewhere. He's still broken."

Penelope rolled her eyes. "How would you know that? How could you possibly know that? You may talk to you on the phone, but he's an intensely private person…he wouldn't tell you that." Seeing JJ avert her eyes and bite her lip, she cocked a brow. "What is it? Why did you just look away from me?"

She sighed. "Because he's here," she murmured. "He came for Henry's birthday." Penelope's face paled. "He's in the waiting room right now."


	5. Eden

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**New one! Thanks for the reviews so far and I hope you enjoy this one :) PLEASE REVIEW!**

The rest of the team and Will stared at each other in shock after JJ disappeared into Penelope's room. None of them quite knew what to say, but it was Reid who broke the silence, saying what they all wanted to say.

"Guys, you don't think he meant what I think he meant, do you?" he asked.

"He did say that the baby wasn't his child," Rossi said, putting his hands in his pockets. "There's only one way I can think of that would make it obvious to him."

Emily shook her head. "And there's only one person I can think of that Penelope would ever betray Kevin for," she murmured before they all fell into stunned silence.

XXXXX

Derek and Hotch returned to the waiting room with their steaming cups of coffee to find the rest of the team, sans JJ, in the waiting room. All of their faces were set in varying degrees of shock, none of them looking quite sure of something. Taking a sip of his coffee, Derek exchanged a look with Hotch and asked, "What's up? Where's JJ?" No one spoke and he began to panic. Had something gone wrong with Penelope's delivery? "What is it?" he demanded. "What's wrong?" Again there was silence and he became more forceful. "Tell me what happened, dammit!"

Emily went forward and held up her hand to tell him to slow down. "Morgan, you need to calm down," she said. "Why don't you sit down?"

He shook his head vigorously and growled, "I'll sit when I damn well what to! Tell me what happened to Penelope!" Everyone looked between each other, not answering him and he raised his voice to a yell. "Tell me what happened to her, or I swear to God I'll —"

Hotch put his hand on Derek's shoulder and said firmly, "Cool it, Morgan." He shot him a hard look and he looked at the rest of the team for an explanation. "What happened? Is everything okay?"

"Kevin came out just before you both came back," Rossi started to explain. "He was livid, screaming about Penelope being a whore, and he —"

Derek threw his cup of coffee into the wall and hollered, "Where is he? I'll kill him!" He started looking around the

Hotch shot him a death glare that demanded silence. "Shut up, Derek," he said gruffly. Turning to the rest of their team, he nodded to them. "Why was he saying that?"

Emily took over for Rossi. "He was saying it because…because he said the baby isn't his," she said, fixing Derek with a serious look.

Derek scoffed and shook his head angrily. His face was like a thunder cloud. "How the fuck would he know if that…" His voice trailed off and his face fell, turning an almost ashen color in a matter of seconds. "Did…did she know?" No one spoke for a long moment and he clenched his hands into fists. "Someone needs to answer me! Did she know?"

"None of us knew, Derek," Emily said firmly. "Don't be ridiculous."

The room began to close in around him. Oxygen almost seemed to disappear from his lungs and spots began to fill his vision. Logically he knew this was shock setting in, but he didn't want to acknowledge it. Instead, he shook his head and started for the door, mumbling something about needing to get outside. He shuffled out of the hospital and into the cold air outside where he could finally get a little air.

Unsteadily, he leaned against the wall of the building and closed his eyes. He couldn't believe this was happening. The wind had been knocked from him and it took all he had to even be able to stand on his feet. No matter how strong he was or how balanced he was, all of it was gone for the moment. Nothing could have prepared him for a blow like this.

Here he was, a man in his early forties, a man who could stand the sight of gore and mangled bodies, a man who had gotten his heart shattered to a million pieces, and the thought of a baby was scaring the living hell out of him.

This wasn't just any baby…this was _his _baby.

He stood there, breathing heavily. Time seemed to go slower and he found himself staring at the road in the distance, all the lights of the passing cars blurring together and meshing into one. He could hardly think straight. The one thought that did finally make it through to his head was Penelope and the child their child she had just given birth to.

_Their child._

He needed to get in there. He needed to be there for her. But something, some invisible force was rooting him to the spot. He hadn't frozen like this in a long time. What the hell was he going to do?

"Derek?"

He jumped and turned around with panicked eyes to find JJ standing behind him. Her expression was gentle, her eyes concerned. She started towards him and put her hand on his shoulder. "Derek," she repeated. "Are you okay?"

"Do I fucking look _okay_?" he hollered in terror. He was scared to death right now. He had no idea how he was supposed to deal with this.

She didn't even flinch. "Derek, you need to calm down," she said in the type of voice she was urging him to use. "I'm serious. You've —"

"Got a lot on my plate? Just received the biggest fucking shock of my life?" he demanded. He began pacing and put both his hands on his head. Halting in his tracks, he rubbed his face and looked at JJ with a ragged look in his eyes. "JJ, what am I gonna do? I don't even know the first thing of being a father. I don't know how to change a diaper, I don't know what temperature a bottle should be, I don't know how to interact with a baby. I don't even know if the baby is a boy or girl! And what about Penelope? God, how could I not have even thought about this? I should have known. I should have know the minute Hotch told me that she was pregnant that the baby could have been mine! How could I not have been here for her?"

Mumbling incoherently, he felt his whole body start to feel heavier than it ever had. It was as if stones were pressing him to the ground and crushing every bone and muscle in his body. He stopped to breath heavily and when he tried to continue, JJ held her hand up to stop him.

"First off, you need to stay breathing," she said. She grasped both his shoulders and forced him to look at her firm expression. "Are you listening to me now?" He nodded slowly, not sure if he would be able to focus. It was worth a shot, though.

"I'm listening."

She nodded and let go of his shoulders and motioned for him to join her on the bench near the sidewalk. When they were seated, she said, "Derek, I don't want to talk about all this with you…that's for you and Penelope to do. But I will tell you that almost immediately after they returned from their honeymoon, Penelope and Kevin's marriage went down hill. She thought for sure that the baby was Lynch's, but they were miserable. She put on a tough front, but after you left, she was a shell of herself. The only thing good in her life was that baby." She gave him a soft smile. "Derek, that baby is yours."

His mouth was dry as a cotton ball, but he managed to croak out, "The baby…is mine…"

She nodded. "Yeah," she said. "_She _is."

"I have a daughter?" he whispered, looking back at the road as if it would provide him with some answers. Looking back at JJ, he nodded slowly. "Will you show me where her room is?"

"Of course." JJ put her hand on his nervous, shaking shoulder and added, "Don't be so nervous. You'll be great."

Somehow he wasn't so sure.

XXXXX

Penelope was looking up at her team members who'd come in to see her after JJ had gone to get them. She noticed that Derek had chosen not to join them, but JJ hadn't returned either, so maybe she was chasing after him. Her heart was aching at the thought. Kevin was probably right: Derek wouldn't want anything to do with a baby or her. Not for the same reason Kevin thought. He thought Derek wouldn't want anything to do with her because she was just a piece of ass. She knew he loved her. Their one night together had proved that.

The reason he wouldn't want anything to do with her was she had broken his heart the way she was deathly afraid he might have broken hers.

"She's beautiful, Garcie," Emily said, smiling down at Eden.

Rossi smiled at Penelope. "She's a good looking girl, Kitten," he said. "Eden, huh?"

She nodded. "Yeah," she murmured. "Kevin hated the idea, but…well, he has no say whatsoever anymore." Strangely enough, she had ceased to really think about Kevin. She would have time to apologize later.

Eden was looking around the room, her eyes flicking back and forth around at all the people looking at her. Her tongue poked out of her mouth and she made a small gurgle-like noise that made everyone, even Hotch smiled. After making the noise, her little lids started to flutter shut and the replicas of Derek's eyes disappeared behind them. Penelope leaned down and planted a kiss on her daughter's forehead. Eden was the most beautiful baby she'd ever seen.

"She looks so much like you, PG," Emily cooed, gently touching Eden's mahogany hair.

Love swelled in Penelope's heart and she nodded at Emily. "She is, isn't she?" she whispered.

Reid nodded. "You know, statistics say that babies with beautiful parents—"

He was interrupted by a knock on the door. JJ had poked her head in. Penelope's head started to spin. What did her presence mean? Did Derek bail? Tears instantaneously filled her eyes. She hadn't meant for them to, but at that point her hormones weren't giving her much choice in the matter. She looked down at her daughter, then back up at her best friend standing in the doorway. JJ's look apparently told the team that they needed to leave, and they all gave Penelope shoulder squeezes and comforting looks before leaving.

"Someone wants to see you," JJ said, giving her a supportive smile. Even that smile didn't make her feel any better, though. Her stomach was still turning in knots as she stared at her friend, her eyes begging her to stay.

But JJ just winked at her and disappeared.

With tears lightly sprinkling down her cheeks, Penelope looked down at Eden one more time, completely afraid of what was coming. Even after she heard heavy-set footsteps entering the room, she kept looking at her sleeping daughter. She didn't want to look up. Looking up would mean facing the biggest mistake she'd ever made: the heart she'd left broken. To keep herself from breaking down, she kept her gaze trained down, tears streaming out of her eyes.

"Penelope?" he breathed.

The sound of his voice, real and echoing off the walls of the room, registered in her brain and she felt her body seize up. Words could not describe the feelings of joy and dread that mixed together at hearing it. She couldn't help the reaction she had to him. She loved him, it was that simple. Well, maybe not simple, but it had such an otherworldly effect on her that it seemed more normal than anything in the world. Did it make sense? Probably not, but it was love. Nothing made sense when someone was in love.

Finally she gained the courage to look up at him.

His expression was one of tenderness, but it was also guarded, like he was afraid of something she might say. She didn't blame him; last time they'd been together, she'd broken his heart into a million pieces, then stomped on it by marrying Kevin. Right in front of him, no less. She also noticed he was staring directly at the bundle in her arms. He couldn't quite see Eden, but he looked on nevertheless. Something about the look in his eyes told her one thing for sure: he was utterly enchanted by the baby in her arms. He was protective of her, and he would love her more than anything in the world.

"Derek," she said hoarsely in greeting. Her eyes overflowed with tears, and she bit her lip to keep from crying. She was ashamed of herself. She had no right to be crying. It was Derek who had had his heart broken, not her.

He swallowed hard. "Can…can I come sit by you?" he asked in a choked voice. "Please?"

"Of course," she murmured instantly.

He walked over to her and hesitantly sat on the edge of her bed. Using his thumb to wipe her tears, he cupped her face in his cheek. "Don't cry," he whispered.

She closed her eyes tightly and shook her head. "I c — can't help i — it!" she wept. "I'm so sorry, Derek! I will _never_ forgive myself for hurting you. Marrying Kevin…I never —"

Putting his finger to her lips, he silenced her and shook his head. "There'll be time to talk about all that later," he said. Looking down at their daughter he had yet to see, he nodded to her. "Can I see her?"

"She's beautiful," she whispered with pride, handing the baby over to Derek.

Her heart could hardly contain the emotion of seeing Derek hold their daughter. He took Eden in his arms and held her with more love than anyone could ever show. "She's…" His voice was choked as he spoke. "She's so beautiful." As he gazed at her, Eden's little eyes started to open and she looked up at Derek with her small shiny eyes that resembled both of his. He brought up his finger to stroke her small cheek.

And as he did, Eden brought her small hand up and grasped onto his finger tip.

"Penelope," he whispered, looking back up at her. Tears were floating on the surface of his eyes. "I don't think I've ever been happier than right now…" He held their daughter closer to his chest and kissed her tiny forehead. "What's her name?" He gazed down with complete adoration on his face. Complete and utter adoration.

Penelope inhaled and exhaled slowly. "Eden…her name is Eden," she replied softly. "If that's okay with you, of course. She's your daughter too."

He shook his head. "No," he murmured. "Eden is perfect…paradise is the best name for her."

XXXXX

When Eden was placed in the crib and was sleeping soundly, Penelope and Derek were finally alone with each other. The nurse had come in to check on mother and baby — she had more than slightly curious to see the man who had been the cause of so much drama earlier — but she was gone fairly quickly. Conversation could then happen uninterrupted between the two of them.

Derek was deathly afraid of it. Was she going to crush him again? They may have shared a moment with their daughter with high emotions, but what if everything was just a heat of the moment thing? He'd begged her — and he never begged for anything — to leave Kevin, to be with him, but it had been for nothing.

"Derek, I wish I had never hurt you," she whispered. "You're…you're the of love of my life." She sighed deeply. "I know I have no right to say it, but I — I thought you should know. I was a monster to you and don't deserve any ounce of your love."

He was silent for a long moment. After moving to New York he'd been depressed and had spent lots of nights drinking in the bar a block away from his apartment getting as sloshed as he possibly could. Several nights the bartender, who'd become a good friend of his, dragged him back to his apartment. And women propositioned him nearly everywhere he went. But not one of them came home with him. None of them were Penelope. There were so many strong feelings rushing through his body right then. Feelings of heartbreak, feelings of confusion…feelings of love. He wouldn't ever get rid of those, no matter how much they'd been through.

She was the love of his life.

So he rose to his feet from the chair he was sitting in beside her bed and moved to stretch out beside her on her hospital bed. She looked completely shocked, but she welcomed his embrace and sank into him. Kissing the top of her head, he murmured in her ear. "Baby Girl, no matter what happens between the two of us, I will always, _always_ forgive you. I love you too much to ever let you go. You may have hurt me, but the reality is, I can get over it. And I'm gonna be here for you and our little girl. For the rest of our lives."

With her heart in her eyes, she looked up at him with love and trust on her face and wrapped her arm around his strong waist. "I kinda love you, Derek Morgan," she whispered tearfully into his chest. "I don't deserve you, but I can't stop loving you."

He kissed the top of her head and held her tightly. "I kinda love you, Penelope Garcia," he answered lovingly. "And I regret none of the time we've had together. Not a single second."


	6. Confrontation

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Sorry about the delay….I just arrived home for the holidays, so hopefully I'll get some more writing done! Thank you for your reviews, and I hope you enjoy this one, too. PLEASE REVIEW IF YOU CAN :)**

_1 Month Later _

"How's the house hunting going?" JJ asked Penelope who sitting in her living room. She and Derek had moved into JJ and Will's basement with Eden after Kevin had kicked her out of their house. Penelope had tried multiple times to set up a meeting with Kevin, to apologize, but each and every time he refused to even acknowledge her.

"Derek's in New York packing his apartment up, but he's going out with Hotch to look for one tomorrow when he gets back," Penelope said tiredly, cradling her daughter gently. She couldn't get over how gorgeous her baby was. Looking at her would never get old. She really was a perfect balance of Derek and Penelope. Already she possessed her mother's features. And then there were Derek's eyes in hers, an exact match. Not looking up still, she added, "But it's going okay. We think we found one that's pretty great. I'll take you there when I have a chance."

JJ looked at her friend with concern. She was afraid to ask her next question, but it had to be asked. "PG, have you been able to talk to Kevin yet?" she asked softly. When Penelope had said _Yes_ to Kevin's proposal of marriage, she could have never have anticipated her best friend would end up creating a baby. Even though no one had thought she would ever have slept with Derek before the wedding to Kevin, it was painfully obvious that Morgan and Garcia were in love with one another. Their chemistry was explosive. If hit by a mere spark, it would burst into brilliant flame and set off fireworks off in the sky. In some ways, the fact that fate had caused the baby growing inside Penelope was Derek's was almost like proof — at least to JJ — that their love was cosmic, written in the skies, meant to be, the same way Romeo and Juliet or Darcy and Elizabeth were.

That was when Penelope finally looked up from the sleeping Eden. She sighed deeply. JJ couldn't read her expression very well. She seemed so full of conflicted, over-complicated emotions.

"I haven't yet," she admitted. "I keep trying, but every time I show up he doesn't even answer the door. And he's started leaving my stuff out on the porch in trash bags. The only good thing happening from my attempts at talking to him are I'm getting clothes and other things from my old house."

"It's probably a good thing you had me babysit Eden when Derek was up in New York handing in his resignation and you were going to get your things. Taking Eden to the house would just set Kevin off."

Penelope blew her bangs out of her face. "No shit," she muttered. Shaking her head, she bent her head, as if in shame. "Ugh, that's mean." She shook her head. "In the span of a little less than a year, I have managed to break not one, but _two _men's hearts. I hurt Kevin, I hurt Derek. I never thought that would be me. I never thought I would carry my best friend's baby and think it was another man's child." She sighed again. "I'm so ashamed of myself. I have no idea how you all can stand by me like I've done nothing wrong."

"Garcie, you're our _family_," JJ said tenderly. "You would do the same for us. It's a no-brainer that we would help and be here for you."

"Thank you, Jayje," she murmured gratefully. "You have no idea how much that means to me to hear you say that."

JJ winked at her. "That's what best girlfriends are for, Garcie," she said supportively. Grinning, she held out her arms and added, "Mind if I hold my beautiful goddaughter?"

"Absolutely," Penelope said with another smile, handing Eden over to JJ.

XXXXX

Derek silently put his last box of possessions into his SUV that he'd taken from his New York apartment. He hadn't take much of his things to the city, and all the furniture had come with the apartment the FBI had set him up with. Packing was a very minor task for him before going back home. His _real _home. He was more than a little ready to get back to Quantico and to Penelope and his daughter. It was where he belonged, with his family and with his previous job.

There was only one problem: Kevin. Penelope had tried so hard to get him to talk to her, to finalize a divorce, but it was to no avail. It seemed like he was determined to keep Penelope from divorcing him. But it hadn't only seemed like it. He'd openly admitted it.

_Derek knock on the door to Kevin's house that now had a "For Sale" sign in the yard. That made complete sense to him; no doubt he didn't want to live in the house with the woman who had cheated on him both physically and emotionally with her best friend. Since Penelope's attempts at talking to her husband were in vain, he figured he would give it a shot at visiting Kevin. Likely it would be a bad idea and result in nothing but a yelling match. However, maybe there was still sensible in Kevin's mind._

_Sighing, he knocked on the door. This was going to be one for the history books._

_After a few moments, the door opened to reveal Kevin. However, he didn't look human. He was wearing nothing but a ratty robe, a pair of boxers, and a stained undershirt that barely looked white anymore. The smell of alcohol was on his breath, and his eyes were bloodshot. He immediately glared at Derek. "What the hell are you doing here, _Agent Morgan_?" he sneered._

_Derek sighed. "I came to apologize to you, Kevin," he said solemnly. "Really. I'm truly sorry."_

"_Humph," Kevin snorted. "Sorry that you slept with my wife? Sorry that you are the father of the baby that should have been mine? Tell me…what'd she name the brat?"_

_His jaw clenched and he had to force himself not to snap at the disheveled, shell of a man in front of him. He realized he couldn't say too much to Kevin that would be hostile; he needed to remain calm and apologetic because Kevin was the one who was wronged. "Listen, Kevin," he said stiffly. "I really want you to know how sorry I am. Penelope keeps wanting to tell you that, but…well…you keep ignoring her."_

"_Can you blame me?" Kevin thundered. "She slept with _you_! She told me over and over that you were just her best friend and there was nothing there romantically, that she didn't feel that way about you. For the longest time I thought she was lying, but then I started to believe her. Well, clearly _that_ was a mistake!"_

"_She didn't mean to hurt you at all," Derek murmured._

_Kevin rolled his eyes. "Well, she did," he said bitterly. "She never loved me, and she never will. But I know how to get pay back." A malevolent glint lit up his eyes and he continued on. "She's going to be tied to me for as long as I see fit. I won't sign those divorce papers until I absolutely have to. I'll be like a virus on her computer she can't get her way out of." Derek couldn't help but think of how even in his lowest state, Kevin was still making stupid computer references._

_Shaking his head, he said through gritted teeth, "Kevin, be reasonable. You'll find someone else. Someone who loves you for you."_

"_I thought Penelope loved _me_ for me!" he hollered. "Then _you_ stole her from me!" He glared viciously at Derek and added in a hiss, "You stole her from me and had that bastard daughter of yours."_

_Then was when Derek lost control. He stuck his finger on Kevin's chest and growled, "Don't you dare say anything about my daughter! She's a child that has nothing to do with this — this thing that's going on between you, me, and Penelope. I came to apologize to you for what happened between us, but you don't get to say a word about Eden!"_

_Kevin laughed bitterly. "So she picked the name I hated? What a surprise."_

"_Hate to break it to you, Kevin, but she's not your daughter," he growled. "She's my daughter. I didn't want to be a son of a bitch about this, but the fact of the matter is, she is not your child, and you have no right to say a single word about her. I'm sorry about what happened to your marriage, but Penelope and I are together now. I believe you'll find someone you love and who loves you back completely. But it won't be Penelope." He sighed. "I'm sorry."_

_Then without another word, he started back down the porch and went back to his car to return to Penelope and Eden._

**Shorter one, but hope you liked it still :)**


	7. Homecoming

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**So here's the newest of the Remaster. My story "Doomsday" is currently on a **_**very**_** temporary hiatus while I finish up this one. Thanks for all the reviews, and I hope you like this one. PLEASE REVIEW!**

Derek arrived back at JJ and Will's house after his long drive back down from the city. It was around nine o'clock in the evening and the sun was already completely down. He knocked once before opening the side door that led into the kitchen and found Will at the sink, washing his hands. He took off his jacket and nodded his head to him. "Hey man," he said, rubbing his face tiredly. "Dinner go okay?"

"Ah, just fine," Will said, using one of the towels beside the sink to dry his hands. "How'd packing up go in the city?"

"Fast. I didn't have that much stuff with me up there, so it was easy for me to get the stuff in the car." He looked around. "Where is everyone?"

He smiled. "Henry helped with putting Eden to bed, and he just got put to sleep himself now; my guess is JJ is on her way to bed, too. I think Penelope's in the living room getting some sleep right now. Just for a little while before you got home, I think. She's been waiting for you."

Derek couldn't suppress a grin from covering his face. "Okay, I'll go put her to bed. Night, Will." He nodded once more to the other man, then started off towards the living room to find Penelope. He found her on the couch beneath one of JJ's afghans. The baby monitor was clutched in her hand, and her lips were parted slightly as she breathed softly through her mouth. She looked so exhausted there. His heart soared at the sight of her. He could scarcely believe they were together again, no longer separated by her marriage or several hundred miles. And not only were they together again, but they had a daughter now, too. Sitting down in front of the couch, he brought his hand up and stroked a section of her hair back from her face. He placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

Slowly, her lids started to flutter open and she blinked a few times, allowing her vision to focus in on him. A tired grin lit up her face and her hand slid out from under the afghan to grasp his. "Hey," she murmured. "You're home."

"Of course I am. I did say I was, didn't I?" he teased.

She kissed his palm and her face fell slightly. "I was just worried that maybe…" Her voice trailed off.

His heart ached slightly at the thought of her believing he wasn't coming back for her or Eden. Although when he thought about it, it wasn't too surprising. She was afraid he would leave her because of everything that had happened between them in the last year. He hated this, the strange dynamic that had entered their relationship where neither of them was quite certain about whether or not the other would come back. It was expected after what had gone down after her wedding had happened, but it was still unwelcome. He didn't know how long it would take for them to get back to normal, but he was determined to change it.

He would win back Penelope and her trust so that they were back the way they were before, only better and stronger.

"I'll always come back for you, Baby Girl," he whispered.

She smiled. "Aw, my hero." A small yawn escaped her lips. She leaned forward and pulled his face towards hers, kissing him. "Was the drive down okay?" she asked. "Traffic bad, have to stop at any frightening highway side rest stops?"

He shook his head. "Nah, all smooth sailing," he said. "How was Eden while I was gone? Was she fussy, or was she the angel I know she is?"

Penelope stuck her tongue out at him. "She's such a Daddy's Girl, behaving when you're around, then being all fussy when it's me." She laughed and sat up straighter, albeit a little drowsily, and looked down at him on the floor from her place up on the couch. "In all seriousness though, our little monkey was fine." He smile up at her and rubbed her knee. Though she looked exhausted, there was a sparkle in her eyes as she looked into his.

"She's gonna grow up to look just like you," he remarked, thinking about their daughter's features that would one day fill out to be identical to her mother's.

Arching a brow at him, she added, "Well, let's not forget the fact that the two of you share the same eyes."

He looked up at the ceiling as if in contemplation. "This is true," he said, thinking of his daughter's dark onyx eyes that blinked up at him an awful lot. He smiled.

She yawned. "I'm kinda ready for bed."

Derek kissed her thigh. "Good." She yawned more heavily, and he took the opportunity to rise and pull her up with him. She wobbled slightly, and he pulled her against him. "Let's get you to bed, sweet thing." He held her against his chest for a moment and kissed the top of her head. They stood there for a long moment, both of them wrapped in the other's arms. These moments ended up happening more and more, and each and every time he didn't think he'd be able to let go of her. He kept her folded in his body, inhaling the scent of her vanilla shampoo and savoring the silkiness of her ivory skin. "I love you," he whispered in her ear, both of them remaining the way they were.

"I love you more, my Super Hunk," she said, her fingers curling in to the fabric of his shirt.

They both stood there for several minutes. Just standing there, holding each other tightly. Their small moment was interrupted by the sound of a baby's cry erupting over the baby monitor. Penelope smiled despite this. "Let's go see our baby," she murmured.


	8. Sunday News

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Here's the newest of my remaster! Hope you like it…please review if you have a moment after reading :)**

"Hot Stuff, have you finished with the boxes in the office?" Penelope called up the stairs. She was just finishing up making lunch in the kitchen in the new house they were renting. After almost six months of living in JJ and Will's basement, they finally found a place. This home was small, and more importantly, temporary. Both of them planned on needing more room one day.

In her arms, the now six month old Eden was gurgling and making grabs for Penelope's hair, tangling her small fingers in the blonde curls. Turning to look at her, she kissed her daughter's soft hair and said, "Hang on, Baby Doll, Daddy's coming down. Then we can have lunch."

A moment later, Derek started trotting down the stairs. He stopped in front of Penelope and Eden and grinned. Eden started squealing with delight and waved her hands towards Derek for him to take her. She was truly the definition of Daddy's Girl.

"How's my little monkey right now?" he cooed as he took Eden in his arms and kissed her cheek. He laughed as she giggled and swatted at his face.

Watching Derek with their baby girl was one of Penelope's favorite things to do now. He looked gentle, gentle in a way she'd rarely seen him. She loved seeing him so at ease and free of any worries with unsubs or cases. Who knew that his specialty would be fathering? Grinning at her two favorite people in the world, she put her arms around Derek's waist, encasing the three of them in a group hug.

Derek looked over at her and smiled. "Hey, Baby Girl," he murmured, leaning over to place a kiss on top of her head. "You ready for some lunch?"

"Well, I know Eden is," she joked as they headed towards the kitchen.

They all sat down at the kitchen table, Derek putting Eden in her highchair. Just as Penelope was about to give her a bottle, the phone began to ring. She rolled her eyes. "I swear to God, if that's Hotch telling us that we have a case on a Sunday, I'll kill him." She picked up the phone and cooed to Eden, dropping a kiss on her forehead. "Hear that, Baby Doll? I'll murder your Uncle Hotch if he wants Daddy to go in on a Sunday." Derek chuckled as she put the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"Ms. Garcia, this is Ingrid Gardiner," a soft female voice said on the other end of the line.

Penelope perked up and straightened her back slightly. Derek instinctually did so as well even though he didn't know who she was talking to yet. His face was one of concern. "Yes, Ms. Gardiner, of course!" she said. Ingrid Gardiner was the lawyer she had hired when Kevin had told her face to face he was refusing to sign their divorce papers. She was one of Hotch's lawyer friends that he'd recommend as she was a talented divorce attorney. Though they hadn't heard from Kevin's lawyers in the past months because of the slow pace that the courts went at, they always knew there was a possibility things could get ugly.

_5 Months Earlier_

_Taking a deep breath, Penelope strode towards Kevin's office. Since Derek had told her about the apology gone wrong and her husband's vow to make the divorce process miserable for her, she'd been trying to figure out the best way to approach him. She had no idea of why he wanted to do this. Wouldn't he want to be able to be with someone else? Didn't he want to move on?_

_She knocked confidently on the door to his office and waited until he called out a, "Come in." Entering the dim room, she looked around in shock; most of the items were in boxes. At the desk with his back to her, Kevin muttered, "What can I do for —" When he finally turned around, a sneer covered his face and he laughed. "Ah, if it isn't my darling wife. You've got some dark circles under your eyes…_Eden _keeping you up all night? Or is it something else? Possibly Agent Morgan?"_

_The moment her daughter's name left his lips, her anger bristled and burst into flame. "Cut the crap, Kevin," she snapped angrily. "You know why I'm here. You ignored Derek's apologies, you ignored my apologies, so you don't get any more from either of us. I'm here to tell you that if you don't sign the divorce papers, I'm going to take legal action against you."_

"_Even if you do take legal action against me, you'll still have to wait," he said with a snicker to his voice. "I can drag this out for a while. And think of all the legal fees. You'll be draining baby Eden's college fund before she's a year old."_

_Her hands clenched into fists. "What exactly do you plan to do? Force me to attend marriage counseling, get a judge to keep you from having to sign the papers?"_

"_How about trying to get partial custody of that brat?" he sneered._

_She snorted. "No judge in the world would grant you any_ _time with _my _daughter. Derek is her father, and even if you thought she was your's for months, you showed no interest in being a one. If Derek had known, he would have been thrilled to be having a daughter."_

_He rose angrily and strode towards her leaning close to her face. She stared at him hardly, refusing to back down. "Don't think I won't try to make your life miserable. You lied to me! You told me 'Oh, no! I don't love him. We're just friends!' Well, you married _me, _Penelope. You made a commitment to _me_!"_

"_I will never stop being sorry for that," she said with pity, her expression softening some. "I never, ever wanted to hurt you. But I should never have done it. We were both miserable. If I was calling for Derek in my sleep, it's pretty obvious how I was feeling."_

_He pointed towards the door and growled, "Get out. You want to take me on? Fine. You and that bastard be ready for a fight."_

"I'm sorry to bother you on a Sunday morning, Penelope," she said apologetically. "However there is an important reason why I'm calling."

Penelope instantly felt the blood drain from her face. "Oh, frack," she said. "What is it?"

"I'm calling to let you know that Mr. Lynch and his attorney have managed to procure a hearing with a judge," she explained. "It's for tomorrow morning, nine o'clock."

Rubbing her forehead, Penelope said, "Any idea what he's going to try and do?"

"Well, apparently his plan is to try and force the two of you to attend marriage counseling," Ingrid said.

"Any mention of whether he's going to try anything regarding Eden?"

"No, not at all," she said. "Probably because he knows he won't get far with that. That motion would be thrown out. Even if he thought she was his child, Derek wants custody of his child and he'll be able to keep it. There is something you should know about this judge, Judge Sanders, who we're going before." She paused a moment. "He's a devout, borderline traditional Catholic, so when he gets a divorce case, he usually tries to keep the couples together as long as he can. You know, to see if they can resolve the marriage."

Again, Penelope answered with anger. "Well, there's not a chance in hell that there will be a reconciliation between Kevin and I. I'm staying right where I am."

She could almost hear the smile in Ingrid's voice. "I guessed as much," she said. "Don't you worry. We're going to defeat Kevin in court, even if it takes a little while. I promise you that I'll do everything I possibly can to get you and Derek happily married."

"Thanks, Ingrid," Penelope said, still feeling slightly uncertain about the whole thing. "We'll be at the courthouse tomorrow."

"Alright. You take care."

Sighing, Penelope hung up the phone and looked over at Derek tiredly. He had looked away from her to spoon baby food into Eden's mouth. But he felt her eyes on him and tilted his head to the side. "Baby?" he asked. She sat down next to Eden's highchair and kissed the side of her head. "Penelope, what did Ingrid say?"

She didn't look up from Eden. Her daughter was looking up at her now, a smile covering her slightly chubby face. The stress of the moment was starting to weigh down on her shoulders, and she felt like if she looked at her baby long enough the problems might go away and everything would be perfect. He pulled his chair closer to her and cupped her chin in his hand. He urged her to look at him, and she sighed again. Leaning forward, she put her lips against his and said, "We've got a hearing tomorrow morning at nine. Kevin's trying to get me and him forced into marriage counseling. And the bigger problem is that the judge we have is a very devout Catholic who apparently tries to get couples to reconcile as long as he legally can."

His face fell and he stammered, "Wh - what?" He began to look nervous. "What are we going to do then? Do you think he'll try —"

She shook her head and put her finger to his lips to silence him. "No," she murmured. "We're not going to worry about this today. Let's just spend the day together, okay?" She took his hand from under her chin and kissed his palm. "Okay?" she repeated.

Derek looked at her skeptically, but nodded. "Yeah," he said. "Okay."

XXXXX

"Jesus, Baby Girl," Derek ground out as Penelope pushed him backwards into their sheets and straddled his hips. His hands coasted up her belly towards her breasts. "You're insatiable tonight!" After getting the call from their attorney, they had spent the rest of Sunday with Eden. But the moment Eden had gone down to sleep — she was sleeping through most nights now — Penelope had dragged Derek to their bedroom, and they proceeded to go at it like rabbits.

She looked down at him and smiled coyly. "Oh, you don't mind it," she teased, leaning down to kiss him fiercely. "You _love _it."

He chuckled and said, "Yeah, you're right."

Giggling, she sank down onto him, both of them letting out groans of pleasure. She threw her head backwards and arched her spine, relishing the feel of the intimate connection between them. "I love you," she murmured, leaning over him to place a gentle kiss on his lips.

"I love you, too," he said, slipping his hand between their bodies and stroking her a few times before she started rocking over him. She rode him, her movements speeding up gradually. Sweat broke out over their skins. Their slippery bodies moved in sync with one another, and she moaned loudly as warmth and tingles of pleasure started to build low in her belly. She went faster, swiveling her hips in a spiral motion, eliciting a pleasurable groan from his lips. "God, Baby," he grunted, shooting his hips up to meet her downward thrusts. "Fuck!"

She took his hands and held them both tightly. "I love it when you talk dirty to me," she panted, slowing down. As she did, he took the opportunity to roll over so that she was on her back and he was balanced over her, their hands still entwined. He began thrusting forcefully into her, and she tossed her head back, her lids lazily closed, and let out a cry of pure bliss. "Faster!" she cried.

He thrust harder two more times, and suddenly she began to come in beautiful, toe-tingling waves. A scream escaped her throat. That sharp cry from her throat was Derek's undoing, and his own release spilled into her. They lay still for several minutes, both of them panting. Their hands were still tangled together, but he let go of one of them and moved a tendril of her sex -mussed hair from her face.

"That…was incredible," she purred tiredly, smiling at him lazily.

He rolled off of her, then pulled her against his side so that she could rest her head on his chest. "Yeah," he said, kissing the top of her head. "But then again it's _always _incredible with you. Always." He held her tightly to him. She knew instinctually that there was something wrong, even though they'd just made love.

Leaning up onto her elbows, she looked at him and frowned. "Baby? What is it?"

"What's wh —" he began to say, but was cut off by her sharp arched brow. Sighing, he shook his head and said, "I'm just worried about that hearing tomorrow. I mean, what are we going to do if Kevin manages to get this judge on his side? I mean, if he's as religious as Ingrid says he is, we're not exactly the picture of chaste."

She looked at him sympathetically and placed a single kiss on his neck. "Derek, nothing will ever keep me apart from you ever again," she assured him. "I don't care if Kevin tries to draw this out forever. I'm staying with you. We have a beautiful daughter, and we're going to have a beautiful life together…no matter who tries to get in our way." To add emphasis to her statement, she touched his cheek and kissed him to prove just how much she did. Pulling back, she traced his goatee with the tip of her finger and smiled. "You and Eden are what make me most happy."

He looked at her, at the sincere look in her eyes. He knew every word she was saying was true. "I'm so glad," he finally said. "Because I love you. I love you both so much."

Smiling tiredly, she placed he cheek on his chest. "Turn the lights off, lover," she whispered. "Let's go to bed."

"Anything for you, Penelope," he said lovingly, leaning over to turn the bedside lamp off. When the dark settled in the room, he put his arms around her and both of them fell asleep together, their breathing falling into sync with the other's perfectly.


End file.
